The Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad witnessed one of the finest centuries scored by a foreign player when Ollie Pope amassed 148 runs on Day 3 of the first Test between India and England. The right-handed batter hit 17 fours during his unbeaten knock and helped England take a second-innings lead of 126, with four wickets to spare.
During his epic knock, Pope used a wide range of sweeps and reverse sweeps to unsettle the Indian spinners. Other English batters also used these shots to good effect during their second innings. 48 runs came off the 30 balls in which the tourists implemented the reverse sweep. For all kinds of sweep shots, 79 runs came from 46 balls. These shots did not allow Ravichandran Ashwin and Co. to bowl consistently on the good length, which had yielded good results heading into the England innings.
Joe Root heaped praise on Pope and said that batters need to be confident in executing when they are going for the sweeps and reverse sweeps. The former England Test captain said this when he was asked whether those shots were a better option than a forward defence on turning tracks.
"It can be [a better option] if you can play it well. When it's hardest is when some [deliveries] spin, some don't. When it's consistent spin you can work out when to take it on, and which balls from which line you can take a risk on. The most important thing is you don't think you are going to miss at all. Have that mindset of committing to the shot and nailing it for four or one, or whatever," Root was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
"Pope did it exceptionally well. It took until 110 to make a small error when he got dropped. There were a couple of balls that ripped past his outside edge but you expect that; it's part and parcel, almost like in England when it's swinging and seaming around, and you almost give yourself a pat on the back because you've not chased it. It's exactly the same here. It was a really special knock," he added.
If a batter starts to access different areas, it's always going to be a challenge: Paras Mhambrey
India's bowling coach, Paras Mhambrey, hailed Pope for his extravagant shot-making and said that it is a challenge for the bowlers when someone bats like that.
"It does happen. If a batsman starts to access different areas, it's always going to be a challenge. Someone like Pope who played, he accessed the square, fine leg area as well and the sweep and the reverse sweep and he played it consistently. Credit must go to him. They really played well, took on the attack at the stage where it was needed and sometimes that happens," Mhambrey said.
"Someone who plays some shots like these consistently does get the bowlers under pressure in terms of variation in the lines. Credit goes to him. But as I said, we still have to be patient with the lines, still hit the right areas and hope to get a wicket. Hope to get an edge or something or the other. That can happen. But I think the credit goes to him the way he played," he added.
The former India pacer felt that the Hyderabad pitch hasn't deteriorated alarmingly and expected it to get better on Day 4.
"If you look at the way the game has progressed over the last three days, looking at the first session, the amount of balls, the pace of the wicket, the pace of the spin, it got better in the second innings and I think it's only going to get a little better. It is on the slower side. There's still turn but it's not the usual turn that we see on Indian subcontinental wickets where the game progresses and there's sharp turn. It's not that. Still a little turn but not as challenging as maybe the other wickets we've played on," he added.
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